New: Late night at Whole Ox

Left: Philly sandwich, right: potatoes with bacon, cheese and jalapenos

Save for the monthly night markets, Kakaako at night can be dead past 9 p.m. Now the Whole Ox is livening up the neigbhorhood on a weekly basis with its recently introduced Saturday late night menu. It's the perfect after-hours menu: most items $10 and under, meat-heavy and pair perfectly with whatever booze you want to bring (it's BYOB). 

Left: Italian sandwich, right: loco moco, The Whole Ox-style, over risotto

The menu changes every week. Two weeks ago, it was chicken and waffles and mac 'n' cheese ($11)—all on one plate, a comfort food trifecta (though the waffles needed work). The past weekend, knockouts included kimchee hash ($10) and the Italian sandwich ($10), loaded with sliced ham and pork loin, pepperoncini, lettuce … and is that really white American cheese?

Goes well with beer: bacon and cheese over potatoes ($8) and a Philly sandwich ($10) with roast beef and cheese sauce. (If late night at the Ox had a theme, it might be cheese-topia.)

Started just a month ago (too late for the Late Night Eats roundup in this month's issue), it's drawing restaurant-industry workers, and last weekend, a rowdy Punahou reunion.

Late night at Whole Ox, 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Saturdays, find the weekly menu at facebook.com/WholeOxDeli